FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton hits the road for a matchup against the Rainbow Wahine on Friday night from the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Titans hit the road this week for their first Big West Conference road test of the season as they travel to Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Wahine, which goes into Friday night's match ranked No. 24 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
FOLLOW THE TITANS:
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), Instagram (@FullertonTitans), and YouTube.com (YouTube.com/csfathletics). In addition, the volleyball team has established its own official Twitter page (@FullertonVB).
CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Television: Friday night's match will be televised on OCSports.
Streaming Video: Streaming video for Friday's match will also be provided by OCSports. Links can be found at FullertonTitans.com.
Audio Webcast: An audio webcast of Friday's match will be available online courtesy of ESPN 1420 AM. Links are available at FullertonTitans.com.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be available for the Titans match against No. 24 Hawai'i on Friday. Links can be found at FullertonTitans.com
TICKETS:
Tickets for all Titans home games can be purchased online at fullertontitans.com, or at the Cal State Fullerton Athletics Ticket Office, located in the Titan House on campus off of Gymnasium Drive on the northeast side of Titan Gym. Game day sales and will call tickets will open an hour prior to the scheduled time at the specific venue. All Cal State Fullerton students with a school ID get free admission.
TITANS PROMOTIONS:
There are three promotions left on the Titans schedule. Fans attending the Titans match against Cal Poly on Friday, Oct. 10 will receive a Titans Keychain while supplies last. On Oct. 17, the Titans will have a Rally Buff giveaway while supplies last as the Titans take on UC Davis. On Nov. 15, the Titans will hold their second and final autograph session of the season following the match against UC Riverside.
FRIDAY, OCT. 3 AT HAWAI'I (STAN SHERIFF CENTER), 10 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton (6-9, 0-2) at No. 24 Hawai'i (10-3, 2-0)
Series Record: Hawai'i leads 31-0
Big West Record: Hawai'i leads 26-0
First Meeting: Lost, Nov. 5, 1982; 5-15, 7-15
Last Meeting: Lost, Nov. 30, 2013; 19-25, 18-25, 25-27
Current Streak: Lost 31
Last 10 Meetings: 0-10
HAWAI'I NOTES:
•The Rainbow Wahine moved up a spot in the AVCA rankings to No. 24 after scoring a pair of road sweeps at UC Davis and UC Riverside.
•Freshman Kalei Greeley was voted the Big West Conference Freshman Player of the Week. Greeley compiled a .314 hitting percentage (20-4-51) in the team's two matches last week while averaging 3.33 kills per set. Greeley also averaged 3.50 digs and 0.50 blocks per set. In Saturday's win over UC Riverside, she recorded her first career double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs while adding a pair of blocks and hitting .300.
•The Rainbow Wahine are two wins away from recording the program's 200th Big West Conference victory. This is the 14th season in the Big West for Hawai'i and third season back after a 16-year stint in the WAC. Their overall Big West Conference record currently sits at 198-34.
•Olivia Magill is currently hitting .407 through 13 matches which, if the season ended today, would rank her third all-time in the Rainbow Wahine record book for hitting percentage in a season. Angelica Ljungquist holds the all-time record, setting the mark in 1996 after hitting at a .417 clip.
HISTORY AGAINST THE RAINBOW WAHINE:
Last season, the Rainbow Wahine scored a pair of sweeps over the Titans. In both matches, Hawai'i entered the match ranked in the AVCA top-25. In the first meeting, the Rainbow Wahine were ranked No. 6 in the nation and set a pair of rally scoring records. Hawai'i scored 21 consecutive points in the second frame to set a new program record and libero Ali Longo won 20 straight points off her serve.
In the second meeting, the Titans got double-digit kills from seniors Bre Moreland and Alyse Hensley on senior night but it was not enough.
The Titans came closest to notching their first victory against Hawai'i in 2012 at Titan Gym when Fullerton rallied from an 0-2 deficit to tie the match at two sets apiece and force a fifth set for the first and only time in the series' history, but the Rainbow Wahine pulled out a 15-12 win in the decider.
THE WEEK THAT WAS:
The Titans dropped their conference opener to defending Big West tri-champion CSUN on Friday night. Fullerton got 12 kills from Niki Withers and Holland Crenshaw but the Matadors posted a collective .316 hitting percentage to help pull off the sweep. The Titans played the Matadors tight in the first set as Fullerton led 8-5 at one point. The teams were tied at 21 apiece before CSUN scored three straight points to get to set point. The Titans were able to fight off two of the set points but could not complete the comeback.
On Saturday night, the Titans struggled offensively as they hit just .135 and committed 20 attack errors in a three-set loss to Long Beach State. Withers was held to nine kills in the match, marking the first time this season the freshman has failed to record double-digit kills.
TAKING ON THE BEST OF THE WEST:
The front end of the Titans' Big West Conference schedule proves to be a tough road. Fullerton kicked off the conference schedule against defending conference tri-champion CSUN on Friday, which was picked to finish fourth in the 2014 BWC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Titans followed that with a match against Long Beach State, which was picked to finish second in the conference in the same poll. The Titans' match against Hawai'i has Fullerton facing the preseason favorite to win the conference as the Rainbow Wahine garnered five first-place votes in the poll. The Titans will also take on defending tri-champion UC Santa Barbara in on Oct. 17, which was picked to finish third and received two first-place votes, meaning the Titans will have played the preseason top-four teams in the conference in their first five conference matches.
IN THE TRENCHES:
Play at the net will be critical in Friday's match as the Rainbow Wahine lead the Big West with a 3.17 blocks per set average, which also ranks third in the nation. They are led by junior Olivia Magill with 71 total blocks and a 1.58 blocks per set average, ranking No. 10 in the nation. As for the Titans, they are undefeated when they record more blocks than their opponent, going 3-0. But Fullerton is just 3-8 in matches where they have less blocks than their opponent and 0-1 when blocks are tied.
STREAKING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS:
The Titans come into Friday's match in Hawai'i having lost three straight matches, all by way of sweep. The team's last victory came on Sept. 20 when they defeated Georgetown in five sets at Titan Gym. Fullerton is also riding a two-match losing streak away from home, having lost the previous two road contests at the College of Charleston Classic. As for the Rainbow Wahine, they are in the midst of a season-best five match winning streak and have swept the last four matches. Hawai'i has won 15 consecutive sets, equaling the longest such streak since 2010.
PACKED HOUSE:
The Titans are sure to face one of the largest crowds of the season when they take on the Rainbow Wahine. Hawai'i is averaging 6,432 fans per home contest in 11 matches this season.
RANKED OPPONENTS:
The Titans will be taking on a ranked opponent for the second time this season when they take on Hawai'i. Fullerton dropped its first match against a ranked opponent on Sept. 20 when they lost in three sets to UCLA, which was ranked No. 22 in the country at the time.
BIG WEST MARKS
The Titans rank in the top five of the Big West in digs per set (14.27) and overall team kills (692). On the individual side, the Titans also have a number of players near the top of the conference rankings:
• Freshman Niki Withers is currently ranked second in the conference with a 3.89 kills per set average, which also ranks 52nd in the nation. She also ranks third in the Big West with 214 total kills, which places her 51st in the country.
• Holland Crenshaw ranks fourth in the Big West with a .325 hitting percentage. The junior middle blocker posted a .478 hitting percentage against CSUN.
• Sophomore libero McKenna Painton ranks third in the conference with 224 total digs. She led the way for the Titans with 26 digs in the team's two matches last week, including 17 against CSUN.
• Mackenzie Olsen has dished out 9.61 assists per set this season for the Titans, which ranks fifth in the Big West. Her 519 total assists ranks fourth in the conference.
CAROLYN ZIMMERMAN:
In her 13th season at Cal State Fullerton, Carolyn Zimmerman currently possesses an all-time record of 179-195 (.478). The sixth head coach in Fullerton's 37-year history, she is the winningest (.478) head coach in CSF volleyball program history.